Machine for bending and forming sheet metal



(No Model.) v 2' Sheets-Sheet 2. L. OOBURN & W. J. SUMNER. MACHINE FORBENDING AND FORMING SHEET METAL.

Merlin; .Ziemuefi Calla/'70, "we mum; J; Sit/7272197,

Pented Jan 26, 1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEMUEL OOBURN AND \VILLIAM J. SUMNER, OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR BENDING AND FORMING SHEET METAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 575,701, dated January26, 1897.

Application filed p ber '7, 1895. Serial No. 561,724. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LEMUEL COBURN and WILLIAM J. SUMNER, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Holyoke, in the county of Hampden andState of Massachusetts,have invented new and useful Improvements inMachines for Bending and Forming Sheet Metal, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to improvements on the machine for bending sheetmetal patented to Lemuel Coburn October 2, 1888, N 0. 390,346, the samebeing especially applicable to the manufacture of trolley-tracks.

The invention particularly relates to improvements in the elevatingmechanisms for the drops or male plunger-dies which are comprised in themachine, to improvements in the means for supporting the said dies whenin their raised positions and for releasing them to drop, to improvedmechanism for ejecting the bent metal from the stationary or femaledies, and to mechanism for operating the movable side walls of such ofthe female dies in the machine as comprisesuch side walls.

The invention consists in combination of parts and devices, allsubstantially as will hereinafter appear, and be set forth in theclaims.

The machine to which the present improvements relate, as set up for theproduction of trolley-tracks such as illustrated in the aforesaidpatent, comprises three sets of male and female dies, the first being tobring the blank of sheet metal to U form, the second set subject to theaction of which the so-bent sheet metal is next brought, turning theopposing upstanding edge portions of the troughshaped metal inwardlytoward each other, while the third set of dies subject to the action ofwhich the partially-bent sheet metal is next moved, forcing the marginalportions of the sheet metal inwardly more or less nearly parallel toeach other and to thesides of the trough.

Inasmuch as the present invention does not relate to the system, thatis, the three sets of the dies in combination, but to devices which areapplicable to the individual sets, only one set of the dies is hereshown, the duplicated or multipled illustrations being deemedunnecessary and inadvisable.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the portion of thetrolley-track machine which comprises the intermediate set ofmetal-bending dies. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same, takenon the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken online 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of thebent-up trolley-track and one of the ejectors, together with a portionof the carrying-chain for the latter.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all ofthe views.

In the drawings, A represents the hammer of the drop guided in the waysprovided therefor in the end standards a a therefor, and B is the diecarried on the hammer A. The said hammer A has bolted thereto the lowerportion of the upwardly-extended plank or bar 0, which extends upwardlythrough the head framing of the machine and between the twofllCtlOl17WhB6lS Z) I), one of which rotates in stationary journals,while the other is mounted in a journal-bearing of the block 17 whichslides toward and from the axis of the stationary roll.

61 represents a toggle, one member of which is pivoted to the saidmovable journal-block, while the opposite end is pivotally secured tothe end of the adjustable bolt f.

The connecting-rod g, which has its upper end secured to the middle ofthe toggle, has its lower end secured to the operating-lever 9 which isfulcrumed 011 a stationary support, as seen at g The said friction-rollsb b are constantly rotated, one of the said rolls being on the shaft 19to which a continuous rotation is imparted, while the other is, throughthe long-toothed gears i 2', rotated as is common in the driving offeed-rolls. Above the said friction-rolls b b is a pair of cylinders jj,arranged opposite each other and eccentrically fixed on the journal-studs j 7' which have the cranked projections j to which themembers of the toggle 7c are pivoted. The said eccentrically-mountedcylinders j j have their faces adjacent the opposite sides of theaforesaid extension bar a. The overhead endwise-pivoted lever m is,intermediately of its length, also pivoted to the said toggle 70, whileto the outer end of this lever is secured the upper end of aconnecting-rod n, which has its lower end connected to the treadle n orother adequate operating device.

The aforesaid friction-rolls b b are normally in contact, with. onlyslight pressure against the sides of the said bar 0, such pressure notbeing sufficient to exert any feeding or elevating action on the bar.

The bar C, having been run up between the eccentrically-journaledcylinders, will, by the automatic tendency which said cylinders have toe xertpinchin g actions, remain elevated un-- til said pinchingcylindersrelease it, as offected by the operation of the treadle, whereupon thedrop will fall with a force corresponding to its considerable weight.The drop is elevated by operating the lever-arm g which causes themovable roll I) to press against the bar C.

By keeping the foot on the treadle and pressing down the lever g severaltimes in quick succession a succession of short quick blows may beimparted by the drop.

The second and third female dies of the compound machine have the sidewalls D D thereof laterally movable. Such side walls are opened when thepartially-f0rmed track is drawn in endwise from the preceding femaledie, and are then closed against the sides of the track, within which isa bar or core 00. The improved means for operating the said movable sidewalls consist of parts as follows: The screws 0 0 have threadengagements with the nuts 10 10, on opposite outer sides of theupstanding parts 12 12 of the base of the ma chine, and bear against theouter sides of said side walls. A disk 1) is affixed on the outer end ofeach screw, pairs of these disks at each side of the machine beingconnected by the connecting-rods q, while the pairs of theseconnecting-rods at opposite sides of the machine are connected by thelongitudinallyranging lovers 8 s and the intermediatelypivotedcross'lever One of said longitudinal levers s has the handle .9 Bygrasping this handle and forcing the same longitudinally all of thedisks and screws will have rotational movements imparted to them whichwill cause the setting up of the opposite side walls D D closely againstthe track.

At both ends of the machine are chainwheels I F, around which runs theendless chain G, having at suitable intervals the dogs t t. The uppercourse of this chain runs in a longitudinal aperture 20 therefor, belowand opening upwardly into the base of the female die, one or several, asthe case may be. Adjacent one of the chain-wheels is mounted apulley-driven shaft H, having the two opposite bevel gear-wheels a n,which are loose thereon, and both in mesh with the bevel gear-wheel 1:on the extended arbor of one of the chain-wheels F. Each bevehgear u ahas its hub formed into or provided with clutchteeth, and splined toslide on the continuously-driven shaft II is the clutch-sleeve 10, whichis operated by the lever. The lever may be placed to normally leave bothgears It u out of clutch, but it may be so swung as to throw either onein clutch, whereupon the ejector-chain will have its travel in the oneor the other direction, as elected, so long as the clutched condition ismaintained, the dogs ejecting endwise the tracks from the female dies.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is- 1. In a metal-bending machine, thecombination with the hammer having the u1')wardlyprojecting bar, C, ofthe pair of rolls, 1), b, between which said bar extends, one thereofbeing movable toward and from the face of the bar, means for rotatingsaid rolls, means for forcing the movable roll against the face of thebar, the pair of eccentrically-pivoted cylinders between which said baralso extends, and means for imparting to said cylinders rotationalmovements in given directions, whereby they will release the bar, allsubstan tially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a metal-bending machine, the combi nation with a female diecomprising a movable side wall, of two or more screws, and supportsthrough which they have threading engagements whereby they bear by theirinner ends again st said movable wall, disks secured on the outer endsof said screws, and connecting-rods secured to said disks, substantiallyas described.

3. In ametal-bending machine, the combination with a fem ale diecomprising opposing movable side walls, of several screws and supportsthrough which they have threading engagements whereby they bear by theirinner ends against the outer sides of said movable die-walls, diskssecured on the outer ends of said screws, rods connecting the side setsof the disks, the longitudinally-ranging levers, and the cross-lever,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In a metal-bending machine, the combination with a fem ale die,comprising opposing movable side walls, of adj Listing-screws, supportsthrough which the screws pass, operating mechanism for the screws; anendless chain, wheels around which the chain passes, and ejector-dogssecured to the chain and projecting upwardly into the way between thedies, substantially as described.

5. In a metal-bending machine, the combination with a female die,comprising opposing movable side walls, of adjusting-screws, supportsthrough which the screws pass and operating mechanism for the screws; anendless chain, wheels around which the chain passes, ejector-dogssecured to the chain, and projecting upwardlyinto the way between thedies, a mechanism for operating the chain, and a clutch mechanism forthrowing the chain out of operation, substantially as specified.

LEMUEL COBURN. \VILLIAM J. SUMNER. lVitnesses:

H. A. CHAPIN, K. I. CLEMONS.

